The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Juraj Blanár, stated that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (both Smer-SD) wants to negotiate with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to ensure that Ukraine fulfills its obligations. The Deputy Chairman of the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic Martin Dubéci (PS) responded that blocking financial aid to Ukraine would not be in Slovakia’s national interest. This follows from their statements in the discussion show TA3 In politics.
- Robert Fico plans to negotiate with Ursula von der Leyen about Ukraine’s commitments.
“We sent two notes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to which they have not yet responded, asking us to go and have a look. The European Union (EU) also requested an inspection through the ambassador in Kyiv. Today is the 40th day since the alleged attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline and we have no relevant answer. (…). We want Ukraine to behave as a true partner towards Slovakia, which supports it on its way to the European Union,” said Blanár. At the same time, the minister confirmed the prime minister’s words that Slovakia is ready to take further reciprocal measures if necessary.
According to Dubéci, it would be appropriate to resolve disputed issues directly on the spot. “If someone wants to defend Slovakia’s national interest, they should gather courage and go to Kyiv and discuss these things directly with their partner,” he said. However, he admitted that the Ukrainian side should be more transparent. “I consider it a fundamental problem that information is not flowing from the Ukrainian side,” he noted. However, he thinks that the situation also occurred as a result of the failure of the Fico government’s foreign policy.
The debate also touched on the development of the energy market. Blanár said that the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East and the tension in the Strait of Hormuz are pushing up oil prices and may lead to a shortage. He repeated that the Družba pipeline is crucial for Slovakia. He thinks that Leyen should represent all EU countries and be active in this matter. He also admitted that if the conflict in the Middle East continues, the United States is likely to proceed with further easing of sanctions related to Russian oil.
In the debate, Dubéci questioned the government’s arguments about the advantages of Russian oil. According to him, it is not sustainable in the long term to rely on supplies of raw materials through the territory where the war conflict is taking place. “I don’t understand why we are still fixated on Russian oil in this situation, when we should be diversifying sources,” he said.
Blanár responded that Slovakia is already working on the diversification of oil supplies. “Currently, Slovnaft has already ordered several tankers from several countries, it did so in advance, it is even making additional orders,” he added. He reminded that at the same time the government declared a state of oil emergency and released part of the stocks from the state material reserves so that Slovnaft could produce enough fuel for the domestic market.
The topic of discussion was also the situation in the Middle East. Blanár assessed that the attacks of the United States and Israel on Iran, as well as Iran’s attacks on targets in the region, represent a violation of international law and the conflict must be resolved diplomatically. Dubéci agreed with the minister’s statement, but recalled that the regime in Iran killed tens of thousands of its citizens in recent weeks, supported terrorism and built an illegal nuclear program.
Blanár drew attention to the risk of further escalation and a possible wave of migration. “We need to strengthen the controls at the Schengen borders, as well as strengthen Frontex (…). If there are refugees who prove that they are fleeing from war, we have a system to help them,” he pointed out.
